Please forgive me for being a day late and a dollar short as is often said. I unexpectedly was sent straight from my Family Practitioner’s office directly to the hospital Monday morning. Certainly an unexpected occurrence, but all things considered, my Doctor thought it to be the best thing to do. I got home last night from the hospital and did not feel like sitting down at the computer, much less trying to finish the Blog I had promised all of you (trust me, the way my brain was working, it would not have made any sense.) The doctor’s medication and instructions have made a marked improvement for me today. I am not over it yet, but at least we know some of the problems we have to deal with now. I know there have been many prayers and God has heard them and brought me dramatic relief. I can never thank each of you enough!!

I must mention the staff at the Sacred Heart Hospital. I was surrounded by so much love and caring that I could not help but feel better. The RN’s. the Nurse’s Aides, the Orderlies, the cafeteria staff and especially the lady from Housekeeping, who prayed with me. They treated me with such loving care! My Doctor, as always, was supportive and straight-forward and a friend. I was blessed to know and be near them all over the last three days.

So, barring unforeseen circumstances, I should be on time for Sunday and back on God’s track! His Name, His Son, and His Holy Spirit I raise up in eternal praise. As They know my heart, soul and spirit, may each of you know my love and prayers for each of you. God Bless and Keep you in His Hand, holding you to His breast for safe keeping!!!

OKAY, WHAT ABOUT THIS “RAPTURE” THING?

You and I are sitting in our cars at the end of a long line of traffic at a stoplight and and the light turns green. The first two cars move across the intersection. However, the third car doesn’t move – its motor has stopped – as a matter of fact, about every fourth or fifth car’s motor in front of us has quit. The odd thing is none of these drivers are getting out of their cars to check their engines.

Others whose cars are still running including us, out of frustration, get out and walk up to the first car not running – wait a minute, there are no drivers in these cars! You are not going to believe this, but their clothes and jewelry are lying in their seat. Empty baby seats with diapers, toys and bottles lying in or near them. Places where children were sitting were left with little piles of clothes and an occasional toy or two. In several cars, the passenger in the front seat is sitting their sobbing or screaming or both!

The traffic light, of course, has changed by now, and the same incredible thing has happened in their lines of traffic as well! What has happened here? People are standing around in the street – wait! There are clothes, medical prosthesis, jewelry and other personal things just lying in heaps on the sidewalks!

People are beginning to hold those that were in a car with a loved one that disappeared. Others are just standing in utter shock? Then someone shouted, as people were pouring out of surrounding buildings, “The Rapture! It’s got to be the Rapture!” More voices chimed in, “you’re right, that’s what it is, it’s the Rapture!” One man standing on one corner was screaming, “It’s an invasion, it’s an alien space invasion!” Not many appeared to be agreeing with him.

Can or, better still, WILL IT HAPPEN? The concept, I admit is intriguing, but is this just something the Evangelicals and Fundamentalist have contrived to scare those on the fence of decision to or not to receive Salvation? Well, let me define “contrived.” In this context, it would mean that it was made up or imagined without any factual or documented evidence. So let us see what God’s Word has to say: One Bible Dictionary defines, “Rapture” as “The translation of the redeemed to a glorified state at Christ’s return.” Let those of us left standing in the “street” check out a few scriptures for “proof or denial.”

I hand you God’s Holy Word! Each must make their own decision in this matter – I have made mine, have you made yours? (1 Corinthians 15:51-581 Corinthians 15:51-58English: King James Version (1611) - KJV51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? grave: or, hell
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

WP-Bible plugin) (1 Thessalonians 4:15-181 Thessalonians 4:15-18English: King James Version (1611) - KJV15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. prevent: or, come before, or, anticipate, or, precede
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. comfort: or, exhort

What would I (Johnny) do for a friend and working buddy (Freddie) whose little two year old daughter has a defective heart that, without corrective surgery, will probably die by the time she turns five. Well, I went to talk to Rev. Mike at our church and he said he was aware of the situation but outside of praying, he was not sure what to do because we are a small church in a small industrial town.

I left Rev. Mike not sure what to do or where to go. Then it hit me, “Where to go – God and what to do – pray!” So when I got back to the plant (I was on my lunch break), I found a broom closet, went inside and closed and locked the door. I cleared me a place to kneel down and turned out the light. I felt so humbled before Him! I can’t remember the last time I prayed on my knees. I knew He Knew about Freddies’ little girl’s heart problems, so it wasn’t necessary to cover that with Him.

So I just asked what should we do to solve her problem and then I shut up and waited for an answer. I was hoping He’d be kind of quick with the answer because my lunch hour was rapidly running out. He didn’t disappoint me!

I didn’t so much hear His Words as I saw His Ideas! First, I saw churches grouped together with many holding out their hands with money in them. Then, I saw the big production buildings of different plants in the different little production towns in the tri-county area. The final thing was a map of the tri-county area showing the churches and production plants in each county. It was then I knew my prayer was over. I thanked Him In Jesus’ Name and through His Holy Spirit.

I unlocked the broom closet door and stepped out into the hall. One guy was walking by when I stepped out and I just grinned and said “Just praying!” and hurried back to my processing line.

So Okay, how did it work out over the next sixty days or so. Rev. Mike, Freddie, myself and so many other good hearted people came together and contacted all the churches, production plants, big and small consumer stores in the tri-county area and told them what we were trying to do and why.

Over $27,000 was raised by all the churches. The individual production plants donated no less than $10,000 each that amounted to over $85,000. Then the biggest consumer store in the tri-county area sat up a Saturday Carnival to help Freddies’ little girl. They had jumping houses, a “sink the teacher” game and so many more. The company with all the games gave them at half price. The stores all donated various amounts and the collections all came to over $47,000. The total raised by God’s Ideas in about sixty days came to over $160,000.

Within 30 days of all the fund raisers she got her heart repaired at the best pediatric heart center in the state. There was also enough money for the family to be there for the surgery and recovery.

Would your solution be the same as this one, probably not. The important thing is that your spiritual soul and heart would make the effort to provide life-saving help for the little girl in this story. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be God’s angel for someone under a different circumstance, but none the less having great need.

In every day and in every way, I pray for God’s Blessings and safe keeping of each and everyone of you. Stay well until we meet again!

In Christ’s Love,

edd

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